Above, Janell Schmittling
Janell Schmittling—managing broker of Homes by Janell in O’Fallen, Illinois—is a firm believer in coaching. In fact, given her own personal experience, she truly believes it can save one’s career.
Schmittling landed in real estate after graduating from college and taking a job as an assistant to a REALTOR® who encouraged her to pursue her license. Following his departure from the business during the market crash, she decided it was time to step into the role of REALTOR® herself and start her career with a brokerage.
After swapping brokerages, however, Schmittling found herself floundering. “I was struggling financially, only selling about one home a month,” she says.
She felt like she needed help, but she didn’t know exactly where to turn.
“I sat up one night and was on the internet looking for real estate coaching or training programs, and that’s when I came across the Buffini & Company site,” explains Schmittling. “I watched all the success stories, and they just inspired me. I signed up that night for their Peak Producers program.”
After stepping under Buffini & Company’s wing, Schmittling notes that her business began to grow.
“I went from selling 12 homes a year to 36 the first year after doing Peak Producers. Then I signed up for coaching, and every year my business has increased,” says Schmittling, who explains that coaching has given her the opportunity to grow her business exponentially over the years.
“In the beginning, it was focused on doing lead generation and putting systems into place, but as my business kept growing, we created systems to start doing client events. They helped me set up a team, and once my team got going, I ended up opening my own boutique brokerage. Now I do leadership coaching, so we’re focused more on how my team can be productive, and how I can delegate.”
Schmittling’s team leaders participate in leadership coaching once a month to help them grow through personal goals, providing a forum where they can offer feedback as far as how the brokerage can improve even further on Schmittling’s end.
“It helps me be a better leader,” she states. “We talk as a team, then my coach and I are able to talk about those things and figure out how I’m going to lead them better and help them focus on the areas they need help with.”
Facing forward, as 2023 winds down, Schmittling notes that the coaching she’s currently receiving through Buffini & Company is focused on lead generation so that she can hit the ground running in the new year.
“We started doing our marketing calendar already for 2024. We’ve been focusing on client events, conducting CMAs for people and doubling down on our lead generation so that we can have a strong first quarter in 2024,” says Schmittling.
“I’ve learned through coaching that you have to be proactive in getting business,” she adds. “We can’t sit there and wait for business to come in. We have to go out and get it ourselves. Coaching has taught me that the lead generation you do right now is what will bring you results three months from now.”
Not only has coaching provided Schmittling valuable knowledge as well as a support network, it has also proven to be an investment that has taught her the best way to run her business.
“You have to run your business as a business, and sometimes it costs money to set yourself up, but it’s well worth the investment to invest in yourself,” concludes Schmittling.
For more information, visit https://www.buffiniandcompany.com.
